The west shore., August 01, 1889, Page 417, Image 9

THE WEST SHORE.
417
THH VALLEY OF WILLOW A.
IN the northeastern extremity of Oregon lies the
fertile and beautiful valley of Wallowa, now at
tracting that share of publio attention whioh its mer
its long ago demanded. Only the fact that it lay to
one side of the usual routes of travel can be ascribed
the neglect by immigrants of one of the fairest and
most desirable portions of Oregon's broad and fertile
domain; but this condition of affairs is passing away,
and immigration is now pouring into that region and
finding opportunities unexoelled elsewhere in the
west The building of the 0. R. A N. Co. three years
ago through Union county, of whioh Wallowa was
then a portion, brought that region nearer the paths
of immigration than formerly, and made known to
many what was before only realized by a few, that
here is to be found one of the most inviting fields for
immigration yet opened to the occupation of the thou
sands of home seekers anxious to exchange the rigors
of the eastern climate for the balmy sophyrs of the
Pacific Wallowa county has had an official existenoe
of two years, during which time it has made great pro
gress in wealth, population and material development
It occupies the extreme northeastern oorner of the
state, and consists of a diversity of mountain, hill and
valley, that renders its soenery beautiful in the ex
treme and its resources most varied and valuable,
stretching for a distance of forty miles through the
center of the county, are the three valleys known as
the Upper, Middle and Lower Wallowa. Bounded
on the south and southwest by a lofty range of snow
capped mountains, and on the north and east by roll
ing hills that stretch away to the border lines of Ida
ho and Washington.
The usual route of travel in entering this region
is by way of the Grando Ronde valley, through which
runs the line of the 0. R. k N. Co., which forms a
portion of the transcontinental line of the Union Pa
cific known as the Oregon Short Line. From the
edge of the Grande Ronde valley the road passes for
a distance of about fifteen miles through a hilly
country, traversing Indian valley and Cricket flat on
the route, and then descends to the canyon of the
Wallowa river, which it follows for nine miles, nntil
it opens ont into the Lower Wallowa valley, the ear
liest settled portion of the county. The land along
the river and its tributaries, which are fringed with
balsam, aapin, pine and fir trees, is all taken up, and
many fine farms are to be seen. On the north the
land gradually rises into hills, which stretch away to
the north for many miles, covered with a rich, deep
soil. Here is a wide scope of country still largely
open to settlement where water is easy to obtain by
digging, and wood is plentiful. Btill farther to the
north is a region of pine and tamarack timber, amid
which are many open glades and meadows that make
fine farms for hay. This timber will be of gToat val
ue when a railroad is built into the valley, something
which will certainly happen within a few years. In
the valley are two saw mills, a shingle mill and a
chop milL A town was recently laid out on the river
five miles above the canyon. The rainfall is ample
for all purposes of agrioulture and a orop failure is
unknown. Fruit has been found to thrive and many
fine orchards are being sot ont with splendid pros
poets for profit by thoir owners.
Middle Wallowa valley comprises an area of about
sixty square miles, somewhat irregular in form, being
widest at ita upper, or eastern, end. It is well watered
with running streams and oontains much flue agricul
tural land. Immediately to the south the Eagle creek
mountains rise abruptly to a great height grand and
picturesque, their summits crowned with snow nearly
the entire year. The northern portion of the valley
is higher than that along the river, and is locally
known as " the hills," and though somowhat rough
and broken, it oontains some of the beat agricultural
land in the county, as well u much fine grafting land.
All the cereals, as well as hay and vegetables, pro
duce proliflcally, wheat having been known to yield
fifty bushels to the acre, barley seventy-five, oats one
hundred, and timothy bay three tons. Small fruits
and vegetables can be grown to perfection, and exper
iments with fruit trees have been so encouraging that
many orchards are being sot out As transportation
has not been sufficiently cheap to render grain farm
ing profitable, stock raising has been the chief indus
try, but the advent of the railroad will mark a change
in this respect and thousands of acres will be put in
cultivation that have never known the plow. The
streams afford ample water for irrigation of the lower
lands whenever a dry season should render such arti
ficial watering desirable, and a number of ditches
have been dag as an assnranoc against a possible
drouth. In the valley is situated the town of Itlue,
on the south fork of the Wallowa river, containing a
population approximating one hundred. Water pow
er for manufacturing purposes is ample, and there is
little doubt that Lostina will become both the manu
facturing and commercial center of that portion of
the county. In the mountains near by are a number
of valuable mining claims undergoing development
and in the Wallowa canyon, only seven miles distant
are extensive ledges of marble and limestone. Los
tine has a saw mill, several good mercantile bouses,
two churches, a fine school boos, hobd and other ac
cessories of a prosperous town.
Upper Wallowa valley is ths largest of the three,
and Is a tract fifteen miles long by six wide, well tim-